Perfectly timed, this handbook covers many important aspects of the topic that have only recently been understood -- making this a truly comprehensive work. With its extensive use of color, it surveys the most important proteins involved in photosynthesis, discussing the structural information we have at our disposal. Most chapters are dedicated to one protein, while a few also summarize general associated concepts. The book also has an accompanying website that contains data files and animations to allow readers to visualize many of the complicated proteins presented. A must for anyone studying photosynthesis and structural biology, as well as those working in the plant and crop biotechnology industry.

An Introduction that describes the origin of cytochrome notation also connects to the history of the field, focusing on research in England in the pre-World War II era. The start of the modern era of studies on structure-function of cytochromes and energy-transducing membrane proteins was marked by the 1988 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, given to J. Deisenhofer, H. Michel, and R. Huber for determination of the crystal structure of the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center. An ab initio logic of presentation in the book discusses the evolution of cytochromes and hemes, followed by theoretical perspectives on electron transfer in proteins and specifically in cytochromes. There is an extensive description of the molecular structures of cytochromes and cytochrome complexes from eukaryotic and prokaryotic sources, bacterial, plant and animal. The presentation of atomic structure information has a major role in these discussions, and makes an important contribution to the broad field of membrane protein structure-function.

Lipids in Photosynthesis: Essential and Regulatory Functions, provides an essential summary of an exciting decade of research on relationships between lipids and photosynthesis. The book brings together extensively cross-referenced and peer-reviewed chapters by prominent researchers. The topics covered include the structure, molecular organization and biosynthesis of fatty acids, glycerolipids and nonglycerolipids in plants, algae, lichens, mosses, and cyanobacteria, as well as in chloroplasts and mitochondria. Several chapters deal with the manipulation of the extent of unsaturation of fatty acids and the effects of such manipulation on photosynthesis and responses to various forms of stress. The final chapters focus on lipid trafficking, signaling and advanced analytical techniques. Ten years ago, Siegenthaler and Murata edited "Lipids in Photosynthesis: Structure, Function and Genetics," which became a classic in the field. "Lipids in Photosynthesis: Essential and Regulatory Functions," belongs, with its predecessor, in every plant and microbiological researcher's bookcase.

This volume on iron-sulfur clusters includes chapters that cover the history of the discovery of iron-sulfur clusters in the 1960s to discoveries of their role in the enzyme, aconitase (1980s), and numerous other proteins. It explains basic chemistry principles, how microbes, plants, and animals synthesize these complex prosthetic groups, and why it is important to understand the chemistry and biogenesis of FeS proteins.

This volume on iron-sulfur proteins includes chapters that describe the initial discovery of iron-sulfur proteins in the 1960s to elucidation of the roles of iron sulfur clusters as prosthetic groups of enzymes, such as the citric acid cycle enzyme, aconitase, and numerous other proteins, ranging from nitrogenase to DNA repair proteins. The capacity of iron sulfur clusters to accept and delocalize single electrons is explained by basic chemical principles, which illustrate why iron sulfur proteins are uniquely suitable for electron transport and other activities. Techniques used for detection and stabilization of iron-sulfur clusters, including EPR and Mossbauer spectroscopies, are discussed because they are important for characterizing unrecognized and elusive iron sulfur proteins. Recent insights into how nitrogenase works have arisen from multiple advances, described here, including studies of high-resolution crystal structures.

From the Introduction: Nanotechnology and its underpinning sciences are progressing with unprecedented rapidity. With technical advances in a variety of nanoscale fabrication and manipulation technologies, the whole topical area is maturing into a vibrant field that is generating new scientific research and a burgeoning range of commercial applications, with an annual market already at the trillion dollar threshold. The means of fabricating and controlling matter on the nanoscale afford striking and unprecedented opportunities to exploit a variety of exotic phenomena such as quantum, nanophotonic and nanoelectromechanical effects. Moreover, researchers are elucidating new perspectives on the electronic and optical properties of matter because of the way that nanoscale materials bridge the disparate theories describing molecules and bulk matter. Surface phenomena also gain a greatly increased significance; even the well-known link between chemical reactivity and surface-to-volume ratio becomes a major determinant of physical properties, when it operates over nanoscale dimensions. Against this background, this comprehensive work is designed to address the need for a dynamic, authoritative and readily accessible source of information, capturing the full breadth of the subject. Its six volumes, covering a broad spectrum of disciplines including material sciences, chemistry, physics and life sciences, have been written and edited by an outstanding team of international experts. Addressing an extensive, cross-disciplinary audience, each chapter aims to cover key developments in a scholarly, readable and critical style, providing an indispensible first point of entry to the literature for scientists and technologists from interdisciplinary fields. The work focuses on the major classes of nanomaterials in terms of their synthesis, structure and applications, reviewing nanomaterials and their respective technologies in well-structured and comprehensive articles with extensive cross-references. It has been a constant surprise and delight to have found, amongst the rapidly escalating number who work in nanoscience and technology, so many highly esteemed authors willing to contribute. Sharing our anticipation of a major addition to the literature, they have also captured the excitement of the field itself in each carefully crafted chapter. Along with our painstaking and meticulous volume editors, full credit for the success of this enterprise must go to these individuals, together with our thanks for (largely) adhering to the given deadlines. Lastly, we record our sincere thanks and appreciation for the skills and professionalism of the numerous Elsevier staff who have been involved in this project, notably Fiona Geraghty, Megan Palmer and Greg Harris, and especially Donna De Weerd-Wilson who has steered it through from its inception. We have greatly enjoyed working with them all, as we have with each other.

Voet, Voet and Pratt’s Fundamentals of Biochemistry, 5th Edition addresses the enormous advances in biochemistry, particularly in the areas of structural biology and Bioinformatics, by providing a solid biochemical foundation that is rooted in chemistry to prepare students for the scientific challenges of the future. While continuing in its tradition of presenting complete and balanced coverage that is clearly written and relevant to human health and disease, Fundamentals of Biochemistry, 5e includes new pedagogy and enhanced visuals that provide a pathway for student learning.

Excitons are considered as the basic concept used by describing the spectral properties of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes and excitation dynamics in photosynthetic light-harvesting antenna and reaction centers. Following the recently obtained structures of a variety of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes from plants and bacteria our interest in understanding the relation between structure, function and spectroscopy has strongly increased. These data demonstrate a short interpigment distance (of the order of 1 nm or even smaller) and/or a highly symmetric (ring-like) arrangement of pigment molecules in peripheral light-harvesting complexes of photosynthetic bacteria. Books which were devoted to the exciton problem so far mainly considered the spectral properties of molecular crystals. However, the small size of these pigment aggregates in the pigment-protein complexes as well as the role of the protein, which is responsible for the structural arrangement of the complex, clearly will have a dramatic influence on the pigment spectra and exciton dynamics. All these aspects of the problem are considered in this book. Exciton theory is mainly considered for small molecular aggregates (dimers, ring-like structures etc.). Together with the theoretical description of the classical conceptual approach, which mainly deals with polarization properties of the absorption and fluorescence spectra, the nonlinear femtosecond spectroscopy which is widely used for investigations now is also discussed. A large part of the book demonstrates the excitonic effects in a multitude of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes and how we can understand these properties on the basis of the exciton concept.

Biotechnological Applications of Photosynthetic Proteins: Biochips, Biosensors and Biodevices provides an overview of the recent photosystem II research and the systems available for the bioassay of pollutants using biosensors that are based on the photochemical activity. The data presented in this book serves as a basis for the development of a commercial biosensor for use in rapid pre-screening analyses of photosystem II pollutants, minimising costly and time-consuming laboratory analyses.

The fascinating machinery that life uses to harness energy is the focus of this volume of the Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration series. Experts in the field communicate their insights into the mechanisms that govern biological energy conversion from the atomic scale to the physiological integration within organisms. By leveraging the power of current structural techniques the authors reveal the inner workings of life.